The Effects of Exercise on Major Depressive Disorder

With the weather turning colder, the holidays are not always the happiest of times for some people. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. People manage their symptoms in a variety of ways including psychological therapy and antidepressant medication, but have you thought of giving exercise a try? A study posted in The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport suggests that exercising for at least 30 minutes a day improved the depressive symptoms in participants.

12 participants around the age of 20 who satisfied the DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder self-reported symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). For 12 weeks, the participants participated in a group exercise program. The group exercise program was offered 3 times per-week (1-hour sessions) and the participants exercised for 30-minutes a day for the remaining days of the week. At the end of the 12-week program, improvement was shown in all participants. The improvements across all participants was maintained even 9 months after the program had ended. Not only does regular exercise help with depression, but a study posted in a Parkinsonism & Related Disorders journal showed that physical exercise changes memory, anxiety, and depression-like behavior (in comparison to a non-exercised control group).

So, what have you got to lose? Try something new this fall! Pairing with Tetro Performance can help you reach your goals. We offer athletic coaching personalized to you to help you start living a healthy lifestyle. This study does show that exercising improves symptoms linked with MDD, but Tetro Performance offers wellness coaching to help along the way! We offer personal, online or athletic training that is personalized to help you achieve a healthy lifestyle and reach your goals. Balance is always necessary for mental, physical, and nutritional wellness! We challenge you to see what Tetro Performance can do for you. You could find yourself much happier and keeping away the winter blues!